The Accident
by Dreamcatcher2012
Summary: What happens when Aria and Ezra get into a car accident one night. This is gonna be short, focusing on when Aria's parents find out about her and Ezra. First fanfic, enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

The night was chilly and breezy, a classic fall night in Rosewood. The trees were changing color and beginning to lose their leaves. Aria and Ezra drove through the outskirts of the town, returning from having an intimate dinner in the next town over. While they had decided to tell her parents, they hadn't had the opportunity quite yet.

"Thank you for tonight," Aria said quietly as she stared mindlessly out the passenger side window at the changing landscape.

"You're welcome. I thought we could use a night out of the apartment. I've missed you, missed us, I guess I'm just glad we're getting back to being us" spoke Ezra thoughtfully while reaching over to take Aria's hand.

She smiled warmly back at him, "I know exactly what you mean".

"So, as much as I don't want to ruin the wonderful night we had, I was wondering something…" Ezra dragged off the last few words searching for a way to bring up the elephant in the room.

"Yeah?" Aria said offhandedly, still lost in the scenery that filled the natural frame the window created.

"When exactly do you think we should tell your parents? I mean we agreed to tell them, but since then we haven't really made any plans. I just want us to be able to really move forward… together and without any hesitation" Ezra stammered while stealing glances at Aria trying to gauge her reaction.

Suddenly, all Ezra saw was lights as a car t-boned into them on the passenger side, Aria's side. The shock of the impact jolted Aria and Ezra in their seats as if they were rag dolls. Their car skidded across the road before finally coming to a stop in the middle of the intersection.

In a haze, Ezra's eyes slowly opened to the scene around him. He could only make out the other car fleeing the scene in a blur. Worry overcame him as he turned to check on Aria.

"Aria?" Ezra questioned as he saw her body crippled against the smashed door where the other car had hit. The sight of blood dripping down her face from a deep gash on her forehead immediately frightened Ezra. His voice filled with panic as he tried desperately to wake her up "Aria? Aria! Please wake up! Please! Say something! Anything!" Ezra only heard the one thing he feared the most at the moment: silence. It was clear to him that Aria was hurt, really hurt, and that her chances of surviving the crash were decreasing by the second.

As a crowd began to form, surrounding the crash, Ezra's mind raced with a series of thoughts. What just happened? Who did this? Was Aria hurt? What would he do if he lost Aria? That wasn't a possibility; he couldn't lose the one girl he loved. Sirens filled his ears, bringing only a millisecond of relief to Ezra's pounding heart. Paramedics flocked to the car, but all Ezra could do was plead with them to save Aria, "Help her! I'm fine! Get to her, she needs help!"

Ezra's POV

The paramedics rushed to pull Aria's body from the car and carefully into the ambulance. As I rushed in, I instantly grabbed Aria's hand and prayed that she would be ok. The paramedics were badgering me for answers and asking if I was alright, but all I could manage to do was say her name over and over again, pleading with her to wake up.

When we arrived at the hospital, the doctors immediately separated Aria and I so they could work on her. Again, I was faced with questions. My mind was racing and my head was spinning. What actually happened? Where did that car come from? How did I not see it? I fought back new tears that began to develop as the image of Aria's still body pierced my thoughts.

Heels frantically clicking down the hallway tore me from my thoughts and I looked up only to be bombarded by Ella. "Ezra? What happened? What were you doing with her? Is she okay? What's going on? Ezra? Ezra? Answer me!"

"I…I … I'm so sorry. I didn't see it, one second it wasn't there and the next it was. It came too fast, I couldn't do anything, and I couldn't protect her. I'm so sorry" Ezra ranted trying to make Ella understand, showing her his utter misery with his pleading voice.

"Why were you with her? She said she was staying with Spencer, I just don't understand," Ella responded, searching for answers in Ezra's eyes.

"I… well, we were on our way back from dinner. Look, I think we should sit down, you may not like what I have to say" Ezra said as he lead them to the small, empty waiting room next to them. As he carefully dropped into a chair, he mulled over the best way to say what he knew was necessary at this point. He continued, "Ella, I… Aria and I… we've been spending time with each other". It was clear that she didn't understand, so Ezra just bit the bullet and nervously said, "We've been dating for sometime now."

"What? What do you mean seeing each other! Please tell me this is not what I think it is, please tell me you aren't in a relationship with my daughter!" The words left Ella's mouth faster than Ezra could even comprehend, but it was clear the she was livid.

" I know this looks bad" Ezra responded, "but Aria and I really care for each other, we tried to separate, but we couldn't. We just couldn't keep away from each other".

Ella stood and paced around the room, " I can't deal with this right now. I have to go find Aria's doctors and check on her. I just, no this is not happening right now, I have to go check on my daughter."

"I'll come with you" Ezra stated cautiously yet with a deeply concerned expression on his face.

"No, you've done enough Ezra. I think you should leave before Byron gets here," Ella said forcefully while searching for the nearest nurse.

"I'm not leaving Aria. I love her and I will not leave her here alone. As much as you may not approve of our relationship the fact is we love each other and Aria and I want to be with each other. I know she wanted to be the one to explain it, but this is the situation we're faced with. So, I'm coming with you. I need to be there for the woman I love," Ezra stated passionately while staring straight into Ella's eyes. He needed to make her feel his love for Aria, to make her understand that beyond what this relationship looked like, it was truly right.

Ella blew out the breath of air she was holding, shook her said and simply said, "Alright."

This was the moment that Ezra knew everything could be okay for Aria and Ezra eventually, if Aria could just make it through this accident.


	2. Chapter 2

**So, this story is really going to focus on Aria's parents finding out about her and Ezra. Here's the second chapter, hope you all like it.**

Chapter 2

Byron arrived at the hospital a short time later only to find out that Aria was in surgery. All he could do was wait. The waiting room was sterile, cold, meager, the classic description of any hospital waiting room. Magazines were strewn across the tables throughout the room. They were old and highly unlikely to provide any sense of comfort to those finding themselves in a situation such as this.

He waited with Ella silently until she turned to him and said "there is something I didn't tell you about the car crash. Aria wasn't alone in the car, there was someone with her."

"Well, who was it?" Byron quickly replied.

"Now before I say this, promise you won't lose your temper. We need to stay calm and focus on Aria right now" said Ella logically. She continued, "she was with E…" but before she could finish, she saw Byron's focus shift to the disheveled man returning to the waiting room.

"Ezra?" Byron inquired with a confused expression on his face, "What are you doing here?"

Ezra raised his head to address Byron, but found himself at a loss for words.

Ella quickly jumped in and took control of the situation, "Ezra was with Aria in the car. He was driving, which is why he wasn't hurt as badly as Aria."

"I don't understand," Byron fumbled. He asked the next question directly to Ezra, "what were you doing alone with my daughter?"

Ella sternly looked at Ezra, conveying to him that he should just come clean now.

Ezra took a moment and then cautiously began saying, " I have been dating your daughter. We're in a committed relationship and care very deeply about one another. We were on our way back from dinner tonight when the accident happened."

The look on Byron's face conveyed not only his state of shock, but a look of hurt as well. Byron and Ezra had formed a friendship, a mentorship if you will, and here is Ezra telling him that he is dating Aria. "How long? How long have you been dating my daughter, whom may I point out is in high school?" Byron questioned with a hint of anger in his voice.

"I think you should really wait and talk to Aria about all of the details. She wanted us to tell you together, to help you both understand our relationship," Ezra explained cautiously.

" No, I want to hear it from you, Ezra, right now," Byron challenged only to be interrupted by Arias doctor walking into the room.

"Are you the family of Aria Montgomery?" the doctor inquired.

"Yes, is she going to be okay?" Ella countered shakily, her nerves audible through her voice.

The doctor outlined her injuries, stating that her right leg was shattered in several places, she had a few broken ribs, but most seriously, the trauma to her head had caused some swelling in the brain. The surgery had successfully alleviated the pressure on her brain and while she was still sedated, she should wake up soon.

Aria's parents thanked the doctor and asked to see her. Leaving the waiting room, they were stopped by Ezra's voice, "I need to see her. Please, I just need to see that she is alright."

While Byron completely dismissed the idea, Ella saw the pain and anguish on Ezra's face. His eyes were swollen and red from crying, his back was hunched over, and he looked weak. Though the accident hadn't caused any immediate physical problems, it was obvious that Ezra's emotions were manifesting physically. In sum, he was a wreck and Ella felt sorry for him.

"Byron, just let him see her. While we may not understand their relationship, it is quite clear that Ezra cares for her deeply" Ella reasoned.

Ezra's face brightened at Ella's statement and became even more hopeful when Byron didn't immediately dismiss the idea. Instead, Byron just turned and followed the doctor without saying a word. Ezra understood his actions as silent acceptance and he followed the Montgomery's down the cold, bare hallway.

As he turned the corner, Ezra's sight fell upon Aria. She was covered with tubes, bandages, and deep bruises. He was thankful she wasn't awake as he guessed that she would be in a tremendous amount of pain. Tentatively walking closer, Ezra's eyes welled up with tears once again. At this moment, he didn't care who was watching. He went to Aria and carefully grasped her fragile hand in his and brought it to his lips. He murmured how sorry he was over and over as he clutched her hand as if it was his only connection to her that he couldn't bear to lose.

Byron and Ella were both taken aback by the intimacy that surrounded Ezra's action, yet they remained silent. Both of them still more focused on Aria. After a few moments, Byron spoke up, "I think it is time for you to leave, Ezra, Aria needs to be surrounded by family".

Without even hesitating a moment, Ezra responded so confidently that it shocked all three of them, "No. I'm not leaving her."

"Excuse me? You need to leave right now. There is no way I'm allowing you to stay here with her. It is completely inappropriate," Byron stated furiously.

"No, I have been the one there for Aria these past couple of months through everything she's been through. She refused to leave my side when I needed her, so there is no way that I am leaving her now. I love her more than I can even possibly express and I know she would want me here. So no, I am not leaving and you both are going to have to accept that. If she wakes up and decides she doesn't want me here, that is a different story. But right now, I am not leaving the woman I love alone in this hospital," Ezra said with unmistakable conviction.

Never before had Byron or Ella seen this side of Ezra. He was usually a calm, well-mannered young man who never broke out his polite exterior. Instead of fighting, they just sat by Aria's bed watching Ezra, trying to understand how these two managed to start a relationship and keep it going for months, apparently, without their knowledge. While they remained extremely concerned with Aria and Ezra's age difference and how wildly inappropriate their relationship was, they couldn't deny that Ezra was there for Aria and that he clearly cared for her. Once again, the Montgomerys and Ezra were in a waiting game, the doctors said Aria could wake up anytime, but it was up to her to when it would happen.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Three long days had passed since the night of the accident. Aria had yet to wake up and Ezra was still by the side of her bed clutching her hand. In fact, he had not left her side in fear that Byron wouldn't let him rejoin Aria. After a day of Aria not waking, the doctor mentioned that it might be helpful for someone to talk to her. There was no proof that it would work, but it couldn't hurt. Since that conversation, Ezra read to Aria for hours upon hours hoping that his voice might bring her back to him. When Hanna, Spencer and Emily had stopped by the day before, he had asked them to bring _To Kill A Mocking Bird_ with them on their next visit. Not only was it her favorite book, but it help special meaning for them and Ezra hoped it would somehow reach her in her unconscious state.

When the girls visited Aria in the hospital, they immediately saw the tension between the Montgomerys and Ezra. Spencer warned Emily and Hanna to not bring up the issue, as she didn't want to make a bad situation even worse for Aria and Ezra.

Yet, true to form, Hanna didn't take to this idea. When Spencer and Emily stepped out to go grab some coffee, she saw this as the perfect opportunity to talk to Mr. Montgomery.

In a somewhat subdued version of her bubbly voice, Hanna said, "You know Mr. Montgomery, I know it isn't exactly my place, but I want you to know that I think Aria and Ezra really do love each other. I know it isn't a conventional relationship, but she's been really happy for a while now and I think it's because of him."

"Hanna…" Byron warned as Ezra's eyes glanced over to Hanna with a thankful look.

"I know, I know I'm butting in where I don't belong, but I just think you should take it into consideration. The girls and I haven't had the easiest time and I think Mr. Fitz is her outlet. He keeps her sane. Just don't completely write him off just yet," Hanna finished as Spencer and Emily walked back into the room. Spencer just stared at Hanna with wide eyes as if to ask her what the hell she thought she was doing.

Just as Byron opened his mouth to counter Hanna's last rant, Spencer quickly jumped in, " We're going to go, Mr. Montgomery, we'll come back later. Just call us if you need anything."

Byron's moment of anger subsided and he responded with a gruff, "Thank you."

Hours passed and as the sun began to set, Ezra yawned as he was finishing a chapter in the book, signaling his need to stop for the evening. But a few sentences from the bottom of the page, he felt something move in his hand. It was such a small movement that Ezra wrote it off and continued on, dismissing it as his imagination. But, a minute later, he felt it again and looked up at Aria's hand in his. It was moving. Finally, to his relief, Ezra believed Aria was waking up.

"Aria? Aria, are you awake?" Ezra questioned as Byron and Ella rose to stand by the bed. "I felt her hand move," Ezra said with a joyful look in his eye.

"Aria, honey, are you awake? Can you say something?" Ella spoke softly to Aria.

Ezra gently squeezed Aria's hand only to be awarded with a response.

"Mmmph," Aria groaned quietly as she stirred. "Ezra?" she questioned.

"I'm here Aria, I'm here, open your eyes. Please, just open your eyes." Ezra whispered urgently.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to the three eager and exhausted adults in the room, Aria opened her eyes and looked from Ezra to her parents with a look of confusion on her face. She looked back and forth between Ezra and her parents before opening her mouth for answers. "What happened?" she murmured.

"You were in a car accident with Ezra. Someone crashed right into your side of the car and fled the scene immediately. You've been unconscious for three days", Ella responded while squeezing her daughter's hand as an act of reassurance.

As Aria began to remember the events of that night, she looked at Ezra trying to find a way to ask him what her parents know about that night. "Ummm…," she studdered as she looked to Ezra, "What…"

But before Aria could even pose the question, Ezra jumped in with an answer Aria never expected to hear so soon. "They know about us, Aria," Ezra said quickly. "I didn't have a choice, they found out I was with you in the car and I had to tell them, they needed to know what exactly happened," Ezra explained further.

Aria stared at him in shock; it was over. No more lying, no more sneaking off to see him, no more hiding in his little apartment. A couldn't hold this over her head anymore. She was free now, well as free as she could be confined to a hospital bed. Aria visibly relaxed as she sweetly smiled at Ezra who brought her hand to his lips for a gentle kiss.

"Ahem," Byron cleared his voice in an effort to interrupt their moment. " I think you should leave now, Ezra. Aria is awake and we need to talk with her… alone" he said sternly.

While it pained him to do so, Ezra stepped back from Aria's bed, dropped her hand and nodded in understanding. But at that very moment, Aria's breathing quickened and alarms went off as Aria's heartbeat monitor quickly rose. She reached out for him desperately while pleading with him, "No, Ezra please don't leave me! Please, stay, I need you! Please!"

Seeing the fear and threatening tears in her eyes, Ezra reclaimed his place next to Aria and pulled her into a light, reassuring hug. "Shhh, Aria, I'll stay, I won't leave you, I'll never leave you," he said.

As Aria clung to his chest, Ezra glanced over in the direction of her parents to find their faces filled with terror as well. They were shocked to see just how attached Aria was to Ezra.

Aria calmed down, and the monitors quieted, but that didn't stop a nurse from walking in and scolding her for getting so riled up. "You need to rest my dear," she said sternly. "You just got out of major surgery," she continued, " and you must get as much sleep as possible to let your body heal."

"Lay with me?" Aria quietly begged Ezra as the nurse left the room.

Ezra looked from Aria to her parents, evidently conflicted in what he should do. But, looking at Aria's fragile state, his heart broke making it impossible for him to resist her request. As he carefully settled into the bed beside Aria and took her into her arms, they both felt the one thing they desperately needed from each other: comfort. Ezra cradled Aria in his arms gently as she instinctively nestled into his shoulder.

At the sight of such an intimate moment between Aria and Ezra, the Montgomery's parents left the room. "What are we going to do?" Byron asked Ella.

"I don't know, but right now, she needs him and we need her to get well. You saw her reaction when Ezra tried to leave. There isn't much we can do. We will just have to tolerate it for now," Ella responded as she peered back into the small room at Aria and Ezra finding comfort in each other's embrace. For a completely irrational and inappropriate relationship, she couldn't help but notice how right they seemed together. With that, Ella and Byron grimly returned to the waiting room trying to think of a way to deal with their delicate situation.


	4. Chapter 4

**So, this is the end. I hope you all enjoy.**

Chapter 4

The next morning, Byron and Ella returned to Aria's room only to hear hushed voices filling the room. They stopped at the door as they listened to the exchange of words between Aria and Ezra.

"Are you in any pain?" Ezra asked Aria, completely unaware of the possibility others could be listening to his conversation. Right now, he was focused on nothing but the beautiful, fragile girl who was lying next to him in the uncomfortable hospital bed. He shifted slightly to give Aria more room on the bed, but she just leaned into him further as if separation could be the only cause of her pain.

"Some, but I'm alright. More sore than anything," Aria responded delicately, hoping not to concern Ezra any more as she outlined the lines of worry on his face.

"God, I could have lost you, " Ezra said painfully as the images of that night returned to his mind. "I saw the lights of the car speeding toward us and I couldn't do anything. I couldn't protect you, I should have been able to do something…" Ezra continued, wishing that he was the one in the hospital gown right now, instead of his Aria.

"No, this is not your fault, you didn't do anything wrong" Aria whispered as she reached over to brush a few stray curls off of Ezra's forehead. "In fact, you did a lot right. How did you end up telling my parents?" Aria asked as she mindlessly touched the bandage on her head proving the real pain in her head was from trying to figure out how Ezra told them and survived to tell the tale.

"Well," Ezra began as he released a breath he didn't know he was holding, "you and I had just arrived at the hospital and they were rushing you into surgery. Your mom ran down the hospital hallway towards me and berated me with question after question. I tried to play it off like we were just getting dinner as friends, but it wasn't working, she was figuring it out. All of the sudden I just told her. She wasn't happy, but I think her worry for you made the impact a little less harsh. It was like she couldn't fully deal with it yet. Your dad on the other hand…" Ezra paused to find the right words, " he was a little more difficult, a little more angry."

"Yeah, well I don't think either of us thought he would take it well," Aria said. " I just, I know things are going to get complicated," Aria mused. "I don't want anything to happen to us. They can't separate us Ezra, I love you too much to lose you. I just hope they understand. We have to make them understand," Aria finished and looked up longingly at Ezra with silent tears falling from her tired eyes.

"Hey, hey, nothing is going to tear us apart, I'm not going anywhere. I promise. I love you, Aria and they can't say or do anything that will make that any less true," Ezra spoke in a convincing and reassuring tone. He reached down to touch his lips ever so softly to hers, almost as if he thought she would break like a china doll. But Aria quickly elevated the simple kiss to one full of passion, desperation and need. Everything they had felt about losing one another was wrapped up in the kiss, they loved each other and nothing else mattered.

While Aria and Ezra were lost in their own little world they created in the stark hospital room, Byron and Ella were at a loss for words after hearing such an intimate conversation. They walked into Aria's room, Byron clearing his throat to announce their presence, and Aria and Ezra broke apart suddenly from their embrace.

From the look on the Montgomery's faces, it was obvious to the two lovers that they weren't pleased with Ezra's presence in Aria's bed, but were trying to ignore it.

"Look," Ella said pointedly, "your father and I don't understand this relationship. How a teacher could date his underage student is beyond our comprehension." Ezra opened his mouth in rebuttal, but Ella spoke again before a word could leave his mouth, "However, it is obvious that you both care very deeply for one another. While your father and I find this highly inappropriate, we want to give you both a chance to prove to us that you two work together and that this relationship isn't just some sick teacher-student fantasy."

Both Ezra's and Byron's eyes widened in disbelief at Ella's last statement. Yet, Aria just waited to her mother to finish her thought.

"Ezra, you will have to spend more time at the house. While you are thankfully no longer Aria's teacher, this still won't look right in public. So, for the time being, you both should stick to keeping this relationship quiet," Ella lectured only to be caught off guard by Aria and Ezra's reaction.

"No!" Aria and Ezra said so forcefully and so in sync that anyone would think they had planned their response. As Ezra had already defended their relationship, Aria found it her turn to stick up for her relationship, "Ezra and I have already kept our relationship secret and frankly, we are tired of it. It's the reason Ezra left his job, we want to be able to have a normal relationship and to go out in public without having to look over our shoulders every thirty seconds. We know people in Rosewood will be talking, but we don't care. Ezra isn't my teacher any more, plain and simple, there is nothing wrong with our relationship. But, if people have something to say, we'll deal with it. You and dad have no right to force us to hide our relationship. Do you even know what your asking? How much pain it would cause?"

This time it was Ella's eyes that were wide in disbelief that her daughter was talking back to her. But, it was Byron's mouth that responded to Aria's bold statement, "Okay."

"Okay as in what?" Aria questioned.

"Okay as in you and Ezra don't have to hide anymore," Byron replied calmly while Ella glared at him from the other side of the room.

"What? Why?" Aria hastily retorted.

"It's no surprise that I haven't always had the best judgment. I have asked you to lie and keep secrets for me, I have put you in a position that you never should have had to deal with. Basically, you have had to deal with a lot of adult situations these past couple of months, hell this past year. Yet, you have proven yourself to be wise beyond your years. So, while your mother and I do not condone or support this relationship, we respect your judgment. If you belief that this relationship is right for you, we will respect your decision. Too many horrible things have already torn this family apart, I don't want to see it happen again just as we are working through things," Byron said confidently.

"Thank you, Dad," Aria said, her eyes filled with tears of joy.

Ezra untangled himself away from Aria and made his way over to Byron and shook his hand. "Really, thank you so much. Aria and I truly love each other. So, thank you for trusting her, I guess," Ezra spoke humbly.

"Well, you should really rest, Aria. Your mother and I have to go talk to your doctors and fill out some paperwork I'm sure," Byron said, gesturing for Ella to step out of the room.

"Mom?" Aria questioned as Ella turned to exit the room, "Are you really okay with all of this?"

"As long as you're happy, I can try and be okay with this. It may take some time, but I promise I'll try," Ella said as she turned back to the door and left the room with Byron.

After Ella and Byron left, Ezra simply returned to his place next to Aria, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "They know," Aria said as she gazed into Ezra's brilliantly blue eyes.

"They know and its okay," Ezra agreed as he lovingly smiled at Aria in disbelief.

While both Aria and Ezra were far from being healed physically and emotionally from the accident a few nights before, they knew that with time everything would be right again. They would heal eventually and they would be able to live as a normal couple, as just Aria and just Ezra.


End file.
